Film Review – The Beast (2023)

Written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, The Beast is loosely based on a 1903 novella by Henry James, called “The Beast in the Jungle,” which is often considered one of James’ best works. While the plot may take a significantly different turn, the film also dwells on the same topics of loneliness, fate, love, and death that are also present in James’ story.

The film starts in 2044 when artificial intelligence has taken over most of the jobs in the world. Humans are, then, considered useless due to their emotions as they alter their decision-making and, therefore, ability to do their jobs. In this not-so-far-away future, many humans have turned to purifying their DNA to get rid of their emotions and find better jobs. Gabrielle (George MacKay), a man she is instantly drawn to. As the film goes on, we see Gabrielle and Louis meet in different time periods: in 1910 , Gabrielle is a pianist who is drawn to Louis despite being married and in 2014 she is a model and actress in Los Angeles while Louis is an incel who makes YouTube videos.

The acting is especially impressive in the film as both Léa Seydoux and George MacKay act in two different languages – English and French – and do so flawlessly. The chemistry between the two is also commendable as their scenes together have us glued to the screen, no matter the relationship between their characters, they can make it work. They also both do a great job at portraying very different characters as both the story and the setting change throughout the movie: MacKay, in particular, is very transformative in his role in a career-defining performance that establishes him as a shining star.

The different timeframes are also very exciting to watch, keeping the narrative fresh and the stakes high as the storyline constantly jumps between different stories and time periods that we only ever figure out at the end of the movie. Inevitably, I could not help but feel that the most interesting story in The Beast was the one set in the past which managed to capture my interest the most with its period drama costumes and fascinating setting. Unfortunately, the story moves away from it far too quickly, making us feel like the narrative there was not completely finished yet.

Despite its brilliant cinematography and fantastic acting, I felt like a lot of the film was too confusing. For the first half of the film, it seems like we are watching three separate films that happen to cut to and from each other at times. The connection between the three is hardly explained and only becomes clear in the final act of the movie. Its symbolism also feels too on the nose at times. Similarly, while its themes may be fascinating, especially as the film touches on the topic of AI and human emotions, the movie has little time to explore them as there is so much going on in the narrative already.

Overall, The Beast is an incredible film, unlike anything I have ever seen in recent years thanks to its ambitious storyline and fascinating visuals. But perhaps it is also trying to do too much with the various narrative strands and time periods, to the point that it seems like none of them is actually explored thoroughly. This is a shame as each narrative brings something new for the audience to consider, with little time to do so as new elements are constantly presented to us on the screen.